Miter saws are a type of woodworking machinery used to cut workpieces of wood, plastic and other materials. Miter saws include a base upon which workpieces are placed, and a circular saw blade is mounted on a swing arm above the base. A person uses a miter saw by placing workpiece on the base beneath the blade and then bringing the blade down via the swing arm to cut the workpiece. Miter saws present a risk of injury to users because the spinning blade is often exposed when in use. Furthermore, persons often use their hands to position and support workpieces beneath the blade, which increases the chance that an injury will occur.
The present invention provides a miter saw with an improved safety system that is adapted to detect the occurrence of one or more dangerous, or triggering, conditions during use of the miter saw, such as when a user's body contacts the spinning saw blade. When such a condition occurs, the safety system is actuated to limit or even prevent serious injury to the user.